Tales of Zestiria Reviews
Tales of Zestiria is a JRPG built primarily for Tales fans and those who truly want to be Tales fans.
An excellent battle system and gorgeous soundtrack create an immersive entry that's a whole lot of fun, but Bandai Namco needs to polish their series a little more.
Though its graphics are a bit dated and it's not going to revolutionize the genre any time soon, Tales of Zestiria is a solid, anime-inspired RPG with a new twist on battling, a fun story, and a great central idea that pushes the Tales franchise forward.
Tales of Zestiria is a success in all the right ways. Combat has the potential to compete in the intricacies of any fighter out there, despite the minor camera issues. Character development is awkward, but the depth is there to compete against some of the most complex RPGs in gaming history.
Tales of Zestiria is passable in most departments, but it makes no real effort to excel at anything. The combat and visuals aren't aging well and the story and characters are clichéd, even for a JRPG. There's some fun to be found fusing equipment, but overall the series needs to up its game.
Overall Tales Of Zestiria is a solid J-RPG but not quite next gen version we had hoped for. They still have some work to do on the series but I still had a fun time playing the game.
Fans of the series, or JRPGs, should not hesitate to pick Tales of Zestiria up.
Not many games can capture the players attention as well as Tales of Zestiria managed to do for me. Yes, they're a couple flaws that hold back the game, but in the grand scheme of things, Tales of Zestiria has to be one of the best JRPGs of 2015.
Yet when the credits rolled, we didn't feel relief, but rather disappointment that the adventure was over. There's a lot to criticize in Tales of Zestiria, but the combat and characters make it enjoyable regardless. Like many good role-playing games, it's easy to get lost in, whether that means fine-tuning your strategies or watching the various character arcs unfold. At its best, Zestiria reminds us that the Tales series still has life left in it.
While you might not come out this game's 40+ hour adventure with memories of the plot, you will remember the heroes, their fights and the lovely music that wraps it up to signal this as the best Tales of game since Tales of Vesperia hit the Xbox 360 back in 2009.
Tales of Zestiria is a competent and quality JRPG that doesn't try to over-extend itself. It may have a lot in common with previous series entries in terms of design, but it has more than enough of an identity on its own to make it standout.
Tales of Zestiria relies entirely upon its entertaining, colorful cast of characters to distract players from anything even remotely tedious or derivative.
Tales of Zestiria holds the series back in light of its upcoming 20th Anniversary in December. It's an uneven adventure filled with half-baked ideas. The fun, enigmatic cast and stylistic combat help Zesteria from completely falling off the RPG radar though. It's a good, but not great entry in the Tales franchise.
Tales of Zestiria is not bad nor is it broken but it does not offer the wonder that I once found in JRPGs. Perhaps it is like a relationship grown too far apart; we no longer work together but neither knows how to end what has become comfortable, if rote. Maybe something will rekindle the spark, but it's not Tales of Zestiria. It's not you, it's me. Sorry.
Zestiria does some interesting things with its battle systems but really falls short in terms of story telling and artistic presentation. Although I feel this title would make for a better entry point into the Tales of franchise, it hardly feels like one of the more stellar games in the series. Give it a shot if you're a die-hard fan, but take caution if you're new to the Tales of games.
By no means is Tales of Zestiria bottom of the pile, yet as far as all around quality goes — by which the many cogs keep this latest entry circulating; moving with swift, relevant engagement — Zestiria is perhaps the point wherein Bandai Namco really do have a franchise on one hell of a tipping point.
Tales of Zestiria sticks to a lot of the typical JRPG stereotypes with its plot and characters but it's still an enjoyable ride from start to finish. Sure the linear dungeons can be rather tedious to explore, the camera swings around uncontrollably and some of the characters are a tad on the bland side but the pros far out way the cons. That charmingly beautifully anime art style and deep robust combat system make this title another great instalment in to the Tales series, one that both fans and newcomers will love!
Predictable moments blended with some absolutely fantastic music and gameplay creates one of the best JRPGs of the year, if not the best. Still, it doesn't reach the heights of past Tales games.
Unfortunately, having the camera closer to ground level exposes the sheer blandness of typical Tales environments.
Tales of Zestiria plays by the book in a lot of ways, particularly when it comes to its cast and narrative. But it's still a great entry into the series, and a welcome return for old fans, especially as far as the battle system is concerned. In fact, it's even inspired me to go back and finish both Xillia titles -- that's the magic of the Tales series at work.